23 July 2023

Cannabis can alter gene expression.  Well this is new.  It may not alter your DNA, but by making epigenetic changes, like changing methylation on histones, it can alter gene expression, which can cause changes just as significant.  Worth it, guys?

Yeah, not all cannabis plants are the same.  Some strains have a very high THC/CBD ratio.  Things have changed since marijuana was first legalized.

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Many vital drugs are in short supply.   How to fix this?  Do we want to have the government take over the pharmaceutical industry?  Hell no, the disadvantages quickly outweigh any short-term benefits.  But the author has a point – the problem may be in the long length of time that drugs are kept from becoming generic.  Shortening that interval increases the likelihood that generic drugs that are valuable and drive demand will be manufactured by others.  Sounds like a win-win. 

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Portland City Council should take note.  This is what happens when a committee tries to solve a problem.  Nothing gets done.  The VA needed a new medical record system (EHR) to replace the old one.  Committees were formed, led by political appointees with little relevant experience (boy, have I seen that).  The result - confusion and patient deaths.  The problem is that the selection of commercially available EHRs isn't great.  Cerner's Powerchart UI needs an overhaul, and is clunky to use.  Epic is popular with hospitals but is very, very expensive and has a cluttered busy interface with a steep learning curve.  There is no competition for excellence in the commercial EHR world as there is in consumer software.  EHR vendors sell to hospitals, touting their auditing and tracking capabilities.  Ease of use?  Improving physician or nursing efficiency?  Nah. 

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What Most People Still Get Wrong About COVID Management.  Well, naturally with a title like that, I had to click.  The author rests his arguments on the trope "Hey, we just didn't know back then what we know now.  So cut us some slack with the criticisms, will ya?".    No, no, no.  Just because YOU didn't know, doesn't mean some of the rest of us didn't.  Just because YOU didn't look at what was happening and say to yourself "Boy, that doesn't make sense – we should be doing something else instead."  And remember, the Dems in Congress were strongly against Trump.  Fauci was against Trump (apparently that weasel Pence was the person that recommended both Fauci and Birx).  So there was no hope of any unified response.  We were told to social distance 6 feet, when it was clear that the virus doesn't linger around your head like a cloud.  We were told to mask up, but never what kind of mask to use, or how to dispose of them when done. No one cared that masks went into the wastebasket.  Gloves were worn for prolonged periods and not exchanged between each human contact as they should.  The science was selective.  This is one of many clues that this whole thing might just be a huge charade.  So much credibility has been lost.  So Tomas, when we say you should have known, we aren't talking about "how could we have known" knowledge.  We're just saying that we were right all along, and that you (and the media) should have given more credence to the skeptics.  We saw the clues, which were everywhere.  If only you had just looked for them.

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Wow, this a great space science video.  Very well done.  Had to include this here.

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